VN, Algeria to bolster bilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal on June 1 said they were determined to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

“Algeria has always supported Vietnam when necessary and vice versa,” Sellal told Dung during the latter’s three-day visit to Algeria starting from May 31, adding the two countries would further foster friendship and cooperation in the future.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation between the two countries__Photo: Duc Tam/VNA

The Algerian Prime Minister highlighted the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Algeria, and expressed his hope that the two countries would continue to cooperate with and support each other.

In response, Dung said Vietnam always regarded Algeria as a close and long-time friend, adding there was a lot of room for improvement in bilateral cooperation.

The two leaders agreed that measures would have to be taken to increase two-way trade from USD 250 million to USD 1 billion in the near future by boosting cooperation in heavy and light industries, agriculture, mining, textile, finance and banking as well as other sectors.

Sellal said Algeria welcomed Vietnamese businesses to invest in petroleum, housing and industrial sectors, and pledged to provide the most possible support for their operation.

For his part, Dung said Vietnam backed Algeria’s effort to join the World Trade Organization and was willing to work with the country to expand bilateral cooperation in education, cultural exchange, judiciary as well as defense and security.

At the end of their meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements on tourism, culture and healthcare.-